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Feb. 3, 1931. w. J. DE WlTT EXPANSIBLE SHOE FORM Filed March 27. 1928 ZSheets-Sheet l Qzfl wiw M i o M a? Feb. 3, 1931. w. .1. DE wiTfi' EXPANSIBLE SHOE FORM Filed March 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 3, v i

* hairs!) STA E 1 WILLIAM afiin' wir'rgon aunnsm'nnw YGRK; Assrsnon TO Tnnsnon roam-00., mo,

orannnnn', nnw YGRK, A;CORPORA TION onnnw YQRK I nxransnztn s'non' FORM Application filed met 27, 1928. Serial No. 285,006.

This invention pertains to expansible forms or trees designedto keep footwear plumped out and free from wrinkles/while onexhibition, during shipment or storage, and in the :nter'vals between periods of use, and for specific illustration 1s herein disclosed as com prising a hollow, resilient, thin-walled shell such as may conveniently bemade of sheet' celluloid or equivalent material in accordance with well-known methods of procedure, for

example, that described in my Patent No. 1,585,284, May 18, 1926,although inits broader aspects it is not necessarily limited to shells of this particular type of material.

surface of the counter portion-ofthe shee, thereby exerting forward pressure against tne very useful and efiicient for the purpose, the

tog le arrangement,-oomprising a plurality of relatively movable parts, addsmaterially to the weight oft-he form and to the cost of making it, while the toggle mechanism is capable of locking in but one expanded position.

In accordance with present invention I provide an expansible form comprising a thin-walled shell together Withexpander means which in its simplest. embodiment may be a simple spring reacting against the opposite sides of the form but which, in its preferred;embodimentcomprises a movable ex-. pander member, preferably'a transverse (resilient or rigid). strut or bar reacting against opposite sides out-the 'form and having .ad-

ment of the shell at one or both of its lVith this expander'member I may combine a resilientthrust bar adapted to extend longi-f tudinally of the shoe and to engage the inner shell, tendingto expand the latter and to force it into the toe of the shoe,"but when the ex pander adjustably inter-locks with the form,

I prefer toge nploy interlocking elements such that the forty pressure of the resilient bar 1ilStlblG- interlocking engagement with an'ele cannot produce undue expansion of the form. {In addition to or in substitution for the ad ustable transverse expander member, I some is! rareri; arms-1;;-

times employ an expansible element, for 8X5 ample, an archedor U-shaped rod or wire of resilient material such assteehcelluloid, or a combination thereof, extending around the toe portion. of the shell from one side to the other of the latter, thereby adding to the in herentj 'stiifness and resiliency of the shell,

the shell to strengthen the toe of the latter and to impartaneat and front end of the shell. l a

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated, by way of example, a. desirable embodiment of my invention, together with" various modifications thereof, but witli;,-the understandii1g that 'the invention is not.

the counter portion ofa shoewith which the resilient V rez'trwardl-y extending] thrust bar of the form engages; p v F 1g. 2 is a plan view of the form {of Fig. 1, with the thrust bar broken off; i, 1

v Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectionon line;

smooth finish to they of myiimproved r and this rod orwire may be so associated with Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on 7 s Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section ontheline .41of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section; similar to that of partly in sectionotfa I versely across the form.

or the like enclosing a resilient core of me tallic wire.

Springs S and S" may if desired be proand'the pin l5' toward the rear end of the slot 8, the expander bar 11 extending trans I The form is now pushed int-o the toe portion of the shoe, the expander 11 being first swung in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2,

either by direct application of the fingers of the user or by force applied through the thrust bar 18, thus contracting the form transversely. This movement of the expand; er 11 may take place about one of its ends as 'a pivot, or about its center. .lVhen the form is properly positioned in the shoe, the expander is swung or permitted to swing by the action of springs S and S, and the thrust bar 18, in the opposite oriclockwise direction, (thus expanding the form) until one or both of the pins 14 and 15 snaps into one of the notches 9 or 10, thus locking the bar in adjusted position and preventing its return to normal position under the action of the compressive force of the shoe. However, by the application of longitudinally applied force, preferably at one or the other end of the expander 11, it may be swung in the opposite direction to permit the form to contract as above described. If thesprings S and S are not provided, the expansion of the form is accomplished merely by pushing the shell 1 into the toe of the shoe and snapping the thrust bar 18 into the shoe against the counter portion, the pressure of the resilient bar 18 being usually sufficient to swing the expander member 11 tothe de: sired extent. H

In order to facilitate movement of the bar 8 to its operative or expanding position,

which are unsymmetrical, their man faces.

being substantially perpendicular to the axis of the form, while their-forward faces are gradually inclined, .thus providing easy cam surfaces for engagement with the pin as it moves in the forward direction. 'Obviously the corresponding slot'on theother side of the form would have its notches are ranged in the reverse direction. While as above described I prefer to provide the form with-slots"? and 9 at its oppoe site sides, I may, as shown in Fig. 5, pronished with an eyeor loop 13 at one end which receives a pivot 'stud orrivet15 for 1 pivotally securing the member 11 to the flange 4*.v lheflangeL-S is furnished with its outer edge,'andthis slot receives f the locking stud or rivet 14 which cooperates with the slot 7 P and notches S in-the same way as "the corresponding stud-14 above described.- In the arrangement shown in Fig.

'5 the thrust bar. is omitted, and-expansion of the shell is produced -byndirect appli'ca-.

tion of'the fingers of the-user'to 'the' member 11", or by the action of a suitable spring S 7 In this instance; as well as in the device shown in Fig. 2,'the bottom flange is very narrow at the toe portion, beingin fact no wider, and preferably notso wide'as the diametral thickness 7 of the arched expander memberh, 'As shown in Fig. 6, this expandermember 5 'is' ofcylindrical section and preferably of celluloid, as'above described, and the extreme edge '20 of the flanges 2? is beveled to fit snugly against the member 5?,

so that the latter constitutes in effect a bead-- ed or'ribbed edge 'at the toeportion of the. shellj y. r

Referring now to Fig. 9, the shell 1 has the inturned bottom flange comprising thenarrow forward portion 2 and the wide rear portions-3 and r s-In this embodiment of the invention the entire expansive efl'ect is roducedby the arched expander memberhi,

which is seated in the angle between the flange andthe shell proper, andqwhich extends well toward the rearportion ofythe shell. This expander memberfis, as above descrlbed, of'tubular form, enclosing the reproject beyondthe tubular enclosing member and are bent or looped as shown at 21 to provide a smooth finish.

- In Fig. ll-the shell'l ;has iigthe bottom' silient metallic core 6 whose ends preferably member being-archedhorizontally and of reslilient'character, and havingits opposite ends seated 1n tubular members 5 securedto the flanges 3d 1 C1 4 respectively- These tubular members 5 may be of celluloid and are integrally united to the flange members in the same way as the member 5 above described.

In Fig.13, the shell has .the: bottom o flange comprising the parts 2", 3 and at and This member 11? is providedeat' its opposite ends with loops which receive rivets" or pivot Q pins'l l and l5 respectively attaching it to the flange members 3. andi lt. eTh e member 11 is disposediin-a substantially horizontal plane, and is of resilient character so that'it shell opposes pp ach of the opposite sides of the 12b the transverse arched expa'ndermember 11?.

tomflange comprising the parts 2 and 3,

and 4 and is provided with a transverse arched expanderjm'ember l1! which is disposes in-a substantiallyverticalplane. This member 11 has iits'opposite ends seated in tubular members 5 which'may, for example,

be of celluloid and integrally united to the flanges 3 and 1. respectively in any desired manner, for example as described with re spect to the tubular memberh.

. As shown, tl1e:=normal resiliency and stiff-.-

ness of the shell :is enhanced'bythe addition of a stiifly resilient; member whichopposes approach of the opposite sides of the shell, and which may and preferably docsexert a positive outward espansive' force tending to spread the shell beyond its normal width. As shown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, Inlay provide an expander member which is adjustable whereby positivelyto'va'ry the width of the shell, and in'conjunction with thisad-justable expander element I provide locking means capable of holding; the expander; n'ieinb'enin little room'within the shoe so thatitdoesnot' conceal the interior of the shoe to any substantial extent, and in conjunction with a smoothly continuous shell which bears against the entire inner surface of thefshoe upper at the forepart of the"latter,"it provides expansion means'capable o t-exerting a gentle and substantially uniform pressure over the entire surfaceof the shoe upper without tendency to bulge the' latter at any 0 particular point; and while the form is'primarily intended for use with a'shoe of a given size, the range of expansion is such that'the form may be used with shoes within a considerable range of sizes, and readilyaccominodate's itselftosh'o'es of different style and pattern.-' v

While I have here shown and described certain'specific embodiments of the invention, I wish it to be understood'that tlie invention is not thus limited, butthat variations in detail and the substitution of equivalents'fo'r elements'h'ere shown is within the scope of the invention.

Iclaimz" 1 1. Anexpansible shoe vform comprising a hollow resilient shell having'a smoothly continuous outer surface engageable with .the inner surface ofa, shoe, said-shell having inwardlv directed flange members at its opposite sides, (me at least of'said flanges'having hollow resilient shell having a smooth outer surface engageable with the inner surface of ashoe, said shell having inwardly directed flange members at its opposite sides, one at least ofsaid flange-members having a curved slot therein,- one edge of the slot having-a plurality of spaced loclring'nctches, an 'eX pander bar provided with locking element movable longitudinally of the slot and engageable with any selected one of the notches, and means constltuting a pivotal connection between the expander bar and the opposite flange. r

3, An expansible shce'lorm comprising a hollow resilient shell for insertion within a shoe, said shell having inwardly directed flange members at opposite sides, an expanderbar extending transversely of the shell, means constituting a pivotal connection between one end of the bar and one of the flange members, the opposite flange member having a curved'slot therein, one edge of the slot having awplurality of" spaced notches therein, and: a locking pin carried bythe other end o'f the bar, said-pin being movable along the slot and engageable with any selected one of said notches. Y i. An expansible' shoe form comprising a hollow resilient shell for insertion within a shoe, said shell having inwardly directed flange members at opposite sides, an expander barextending transversely of the shell. said 'barhavingaloop at each end, each flange having an elongate slot therein, thevedge ofea'ch slot'having a plurality of notches, and a pin slidable along each slot, id pins eugaging the loops at opposite ends of the expanderbar,respectively. v v I 5.-An exp-'ansible shoe form comprising a hollow resilient shell for insertion within a shoe, said shell having inwardly directed flange members at opposite sides, an expander bar extending transversely of the shell, each flangehaving acurved slot provided with at leaston'e notch in its outer edge, and a headed pin carried by each end of the expander bar,said pins sliding, respectively, in the slots in the opposite-flanges.

6. An expansible shoe form comprising a hollow resilient shell for insertion within a shoe, said shell having, inwardly directed flange members at opposite sides, an expander bar, extending transversely of the shell,

vsaid bar having adjustable interlocking connections at its opposite ends with the respecvtive flanges, and a resilient thrustbar united Her) at one end to the expanderbar and provided face of the counter portion of the shoe, said at lts oppositeendwith means forengagethrust-bar having a wlrecore encased in a ment with theinner surface of the counter portion'of the shoe, said thrustibar comprising a resilient metallic wire encased in a tube of celluloid.

7. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin-walled hollow resilient shell having a celluloid tube;

- Signed by meat Boston,

this 15th day of March, 1928. a

g WILLIAM J. DE 'WITT.

able with the inner surface of a shoe, and an expander element extending transversely across the shell, one end at least of said expanderbeing movable longitudinally of the shell whereby to vary the width of the shell,

said shell and the expanderhaving interengaging elements adapted to retain the expander element in any selected one of a plurality of positions of adjustment.

8. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin-walled hollow resilient shell having a smoothly continuous outer surface engageable with the inner surface of a shoe, and an ex-- pander bar extending transversely across the shell, and means connecting the opposite ends of the bar to the shell, one end at least of the barbeing movable longitudinally of the'shell thereby to vary the effective width of the V 0 rear part at least of the shell, the means connecting said movable end of the bar to the shell comprising locking elements forret'aining the bar in any of a plurality of positions of adjustment. r

9. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin-walled hollow resilient shell having a smoothly continuous outer surface engageable with the inner surface of a shoe,and an expander bar extending transversely across the shell, means pivotally connecting one end of the bar to one side of the shell, an element at the opposite end of the bar arranged to engage and slide along an elongate slot in a part of the shell, and a springtending to swing said expander bar thereby to move said element, toward one end of the slot.

10. An expansible'shoe form "comprising a thin-walled hollow resilient "shell having a' smoothly continuous outer surface engageable with the inner surface ofa shoe, an expander bar extending transversely across the v shell, means pivotally uniting one end of the bar to one end of the shell, a pin carried by r the other end of the bar,,the shell having a. flange member provided with a curved slot into which said pin projects and along which the pin may slide, said slot having a notch in its outer edge for the-reception of the pin, i

and a thrust bar pivotally connected to the expander bar and having a member at its 7 l "other end for engagement with the counter,

portion of a shoe. j Y 7 e .11.: As'hoe form comprising a hollow thinwalled resilient shell adapted to fit within the fore part of a shoe, and a resilient thrust bar secured at one end to said shell and comprising an element engageable with the innerv sur- Massachusetts,

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